Valerie and Raistlin
by Rae Kardrinalin
Summary: Valerie, from our world, gets to go to Krynn and meet Raistlin! Not the best summary, so read and tell me what you think! Also, the rating is for later on in the story. Please read and review! Please! And this is a romantic dramady! Yes, it has all 3!
1. Meeting

Okay, I do not own anything from Dragonlance. Valerie is mine, and all mine. This story takes place in AU. But I get to that in the story, so just read and hope you like it! I apologize for the seeming Dalamar bashing. I have nothing against him, really! Also, make sure to review! I live for reviews!

Valerie's alarm went off promptly at ten am. She shut it off and rolled over briefly before opening her eyes and staring at her star-specked ceiling. She sighed loudly before getting up out of bed, her tangled red hair falling into her face as she reached down to pick her glasses up off the floor. She put her glasses on over her dark blue eyes and headed into the bathroom for her normal routine of a shower before work. Looking at her pale face in the mirror, she dredged up a smile for her reflection. "Thank the Goddess it's Friday."

When she was dressed in a full denim blue skirt and matching top, she was out the door and off to the library. At twenty-one, she worked part time as a page for a little branch library in Greece, New York. Valerie used her job partly as a means to get new books that she liked, seeing as she could have anything from the other libraries sent to hers for her, and thus she didn't need to worry about when to pick it up. She did really enjoy her job, though she spent a good deal of time daydreaming about characters in her books.

As Valerie went to go to the back room that day, she happened to glance down into one of the totes that carry the books between libraries. Inside it was one object, an old, leather bound book that had no visible title. Instead of continuing on to put her purse in the closet, she knelt down to open the book and see what it was about. The page she opened it to had no page number, and at first seemed to be filled with gibberish. Valerie looked closer at the words and decided they must be in a foreign language. Just for the fun of it, and to see how they sounded to her, she said a few words out loud, sounding them out as she went. The words didn't sound like any language she had ever heard, and when she reached the end of the passage, she shrugged her shoulders.

A second before she was about to put the book back in the tote, a bright light surrounded Valerie, and she vanished from the library, to the amazement of her co-workers. Valerie felt as if she were falling from a great height, so she was surprised when she hit a carpeted floor with only enough force to knock the breathe from her. As she lay there gasping for breath, she heard other people in the room. It sounded like there were three of them, all male, and one did not sound too happy with her. As she sat up, she carefully readjusted her glasses on her face before looking up into the angry eyes of one of the three people.

He was wearing long black robes, had almond shaped eyes, and had pointed ears. Valerie stared at that feature for a moment before taking in the other two men. One of them was also in black robes, but the hood of his robes was pulled up to cover his face. He sat behind a large desk in what appeared to be a large study room. The other man was what looked around middle age and was dressed in seemingly medieval style armor. He seemed to be looking at her in a concerned manner. Apparently the pointy-eared person had been waiting for some sort of response from her, since he made a sudden noise of frustration.

"Well, who are you and how did you get here?" He said this slowly as if speaking to a child.

Valerie promptly stood up and looked about the room. A fire burned in a hearth, and the walls were covered in books. She finally brought her gaze back to the man before her and shook her head briefly before finally saying, "Holy shit."

This seemed to take the elf back a bit. "Excuse me?"

Valerie came back to herself. "Right, sorry about that." She looked closely at the elf. "You're Dalamar the Dark, aren't you?" She seemed quite amused at this idea.

The man folded his arms across his chest. "Yes, what of it? You still have not answered my questions."

Valerie rolled her eyes at him, before turning toward the warrior. "And you, you must be Caramon, right?" He nodded at her. Finally she turned to the third man. "That means, that you can only be Raistlin." The man didn't say anything, just folded his hands before him on the desk and leaned back a bit. Valerie did notice, however, that his hands looked decidedly gold in the light from the window nearest to him. She finally turned back to Dalamar, who seemed to be practically fuming at the mouth at her sheer audacity. "As to your questions, I am Valerie Schriller, and I have not one solid clue how I got here. For all I know, I'm suffering from a brain tumor and you are nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Of course, I could also be crazy, but I think I like that idea less."

"What about that book you have?" Raistlin's quiet voice came from the desk, startling Valerie and making her look down to where her right arm still held onto the book.

"This? I got this at my library."

Dalamar raised an eyebrow at her. "_Your_ library?"

Valerie huffed. "I mean at my public library. Where I'm from, there are a number of libraries in every town that are open to the public."

"Where you're from?" Raistlin got up from his desk and came around to where Valerie stood. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, she was sure they were scrutinizing her closely.

"I'm not exactly from this planet." She smiled a little lopsidedly at him, waiting for his reaction.

"How do you know about us then?" Raistlin's tone was still quite mild.

Valerie looked down at the floor. "Well, ah, you see, you are all characters in a group of books I've read for fun." She looked back up at him.

Dalamar snorted. "Why are we even listening to this rubbish?"

Raistlin reached up and lowered the hood of his robes. Unlike his brother, he looked around the age he was when he died in the books. His golden eyes gazed clearly at Valerie, whose dark blue eyes looked back as steadily, which Raistlin found interesting. "She does not age in my sight. There may well be good reason to believe the idea of her coming from another world, if she can try to explain that phenomenon."

Valerie looked startled. "I don't know why I don't age in your sight. Technically I should since I am only a human, but," she stood there thinking for a moment, "maybe it has something to do with time-space and inter-dimensional travel. If I am really on Krynn now, then I had to go through one or maybe even several dimensional barriers." Valerie paced back and forth as she thought. "Or, another idea, is that since I'm not part of this time stream, then maybe your eyesight only works on people who are a part of your own time line." She looked back at the other people, and found both Dalamar and Caramon looking at her in a decidedly puzzled manner. Only Raistlin didn't look completely out of his depth, which may be since he had crossed time once or twice. She looked at the other two apologetically. "Sorry if I sound a bit weird, I'm really good at coming up with really strange theories."

Raistlin smiled slightly. "Not so strange." He turned around and went back to his desk.

Dalamar walked over to Valerie and extended his hand. "Let me see that book."

Valerie took a step back from him and wrapped her arms around the book. "No way! This may be my only ticket home, so no one is going to get their hands on it but me!"

Dalamar snarled at her and came another step toward her. "I said, give it to me!"

Valerie continued to back away from him until she reached the wall. Caramon took a step forward, but Raistlin raised a hand to forestall him. Valerie paid no attention to either of them. "Just, go away, would you already! I said no!" After she said this, words appeared in the air before her. Dalamar stopped to try and read them from behind, but Valerie quickly said them out loud. Dalamar immediately vanished from the room.

Caramon blinked. "Where did he go?"

Valerie smiled brightly. "I sent him to Crystalmere Lake. The middle of it. I hope he can swim well." She looked worried for a second, but them shrugged and smiled again.

Raistlin looked amused. "You do realize what he may do to you when he gets back, right?"

Valerie looked at him seriously before opening her book and plopping down on the floor. Caramon looked at his brother, who raised an eyebrow at him before looking back at the very bizarre woman sitting in his study on the floor. She apparently was looking in her book to see if there was anything that could help her with the irate dark elf when he returned.

Raistlin continued to look at Valerie as she sat there reading the book, looking proud of herself for sending Dalamar anywhere. Caramon couldn't decide what to do, so he opted for sitting back down and watching his brother out of the corner of his eye while keeping his other eye on Valerie. After a few minutes of silence, Dalamar reappeared in the room, thoroughly soaked and looking fit to murder anyone. His gaze quickly fell on Valerie, who looked up in alarm and squirmed backwards so she was pressed up against the wall.

"You…little…" He could hardly get the words out for how angry he was. As he stalked toward her, Caramon got up to go and intercede, but Raistlin's voice stopped him, and Dalamar, where they were.

"You will not touch her, Dalamar." There was just a touch of venom in his quiet voice as he spoke.

Dalamar whirled around looking furious. "Why not? She just…just…"

"She just cast a very clear, concise, and complex spell at you." Raistlin steepled his fingers before him. "So until such time as I am finished learning about her and where it is she is from, you will not harm her." The look on his face was deadly serious, and Valerie was with the other two men when she looked at him nervously, though for other reasons she was sure.

Dalamar bowed stiffly to Raistlin and Caramon, before vanishing from sight, presumably to put dry cloths on. Caramon looked between his brother and Valerie before speaking carefully. "Maybe she should come with me when I return to Solace."

"Ah, well," both men turned to look at her, "if it's all the same to you two, I think I might rather stay here. I mean, if Raistlin doesn't mind and doesn't stick me in a dungeon cell." Caramon looked at her as if she was a bonafide lunatic. She looked at him apologetically. "It's not that I don't want to go, quite the opposite. It's just that the Tower in Palanthas is, well, a lot cooler."

"Why is temperature a problem?" Caramon really looked confused now.

Valerie sighed loudly. "Not cooler as in temperature, but cooler as in more interesting. It's…kind of…a slang where I come from." Caramon nodded in understanding, though he still looked uncertain.

"Come now, brother," Raistlin was trying hard to be patient with his sibling, "you don't really think I'd 'put her in a dungeon'. Do you?"

Caramon looked at his brother steadily. "Yes, I do."

"Ah ha!" They turned back to Valerie as she stood up. "I could probably just transport, or teleport, or whatever out of here if anything bad happens, right?" She smiled happily at Caramon.

"I suppose." Caramon said slowly.

"Great!" Valerie clapped her hand against the book. "The only problem I have now is with my medication. I guess I could go without it for a while, I mean, it's not like I need it to live…" As she spoke, a small burst of light appeared at the ceiling and vanished as quickly, but a few bottles fell from the light. Valerie walked over to them in surprise. "Holy cow! This is my stuff!" She looked at the book. "Cool."

Raistlin was looking at the bottles she now held. "What sort of medication?"

She smiled at him and walked over to sit in one of the chairs set before his desk. She put the book on her lap and showed him the first bottle, which had several lines of writing on it. "This is my Singular, which I take for my asthma." The next bottle was a little thinner. "And this is my Zyrtec for my allergies. Most of which are asthma related."

"What is asthma?" Caramon sat in the other chair, but kept a slight distance from Valerie.

"It's what he has, I'm sure of it." She pointed at Raistlin, who quirked an eyebrow at her. "Okay, you know how you've always, and I mean always, had some problems breathing?" He nodded. "Well, reading about it in my books, it sounded just like asthma symptoms. The lungs get thrown into a spasm due to running, or allergies, or even just when you get sick, and you can't breathe for anything. I was diagnosed with asthma when I was two, so I know all sorts of things about the illness. And it's treatment, since on my world it is a very treatable problem. In fact," she snapped her fingers in sudden insight, "that tea stuff of yours may have some level of medicine I take, but in a less concentrated form, especially since you need that tea guncus several times a day." Valerie smiled wider at him. "You know, I've always wanted to tell you that. Maybe you should try some of my stuff, especially an inhaler. They work wonders and could even cut that cough of yours a bit."

Raistlin looked rather surprised. Caramon looked like he was seriously out of his depths. "Maybe I should be getting along back to Solace." He stood up and looked at Valerie. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather come with me?" He didn't really look pleased about that idea anymore, and seemed relieved when she shook her head. Caramon turned back to Raistlin. "We'll keep in touch." With that, he held up a pendant Valerie hadn't noticed before, and tapping it three times, vanished from the room.

"Well, that's a cool new little trinket." She shrugged and looked back at Raistlin. "So, what now?"

Raistlin stared at her for several minutes, so that after a little time she turned to look around the room, clearly still doubting whether or not she were really there. Raistlin was surprised by her reaction to him, most importantly when she first laid eyes on him. She seemed neither intimidated, nor fearful, nor pitying. In actual fact, he was quite sure she was pleased a great deal just to be in the same room with him. The concept was, to say the least, odd for him. Her skirt was of no material he had previously seen, and her language was certainly different, meaning it was indeed possible she came from where she had said. However, how she had gotten here was still not clear. That a book could just have brought her here seemed a tad unlikely.

"Were you brought here just by touching the book in the first place?" Valerie turned back to him as he spoke.

She thought for a moment. "No, I think I came here since I opened the book and read a page." She looked at the book. "I don't remember which page, since there are no page numbers, but maybe with some looking, I could find it again." She shrugged and looked back up at him, another smile creeping onto her face.

Raistlin shook his head. "You're certain I can't get that book from your grasp?" There was a slight warning note in his voice.

Valerie violently shook her head, making a few strands of hair shake free and move in front of her face, which she swiped behind her ear irritably. "I'm sorry about that, but under the circumstances, I think it may be safer for my own well-being if I keep a constant hand on it. No offense or anything, really!" She looked ready to bolt if he made a move to cast a spell at her. Which wouldn't have likely done much good, but the idea was clear.

Raistlin shook his head. "Just make sure you can keep a hand on it at all times. Everyone needs to sleep, after all." Valerie blushed crimson.

"Ahm, speaking of sleeping, where will I be sleeping?" Valerie rubbed her neck slightly.

"I'm sure Dalamar would volunteer his bed." There was just a touch of bitterness in his voice.

Valerie looked insulted. "Are you kidding? Do you have any idea the number of diseases he's likely picked up from all the women he plays with? I mean, really, not to be rude at all, but he is something of a slut. And I don't really want to try and get some icky little illness from him when there isn't anything remotely similar to a hospital here. Besides," she blushed slightly, "he is not really my type."

Raistlin studied her briefly. "There are other rooms in the Tower, I'm sure one will suit you."

"As long as it isn't with the Live Ones. No offence, I think they'd stain my cloths." Raistlin looked at her in surprise at the mention of the Live Ones. "Other than that, I'm pretty good with most any room."

Raistlin stood up from his desk. "I'll show you a room now. I think that it might be best if you avoided Dalamar for a while until he calms down from your first encounter." Raistlin still smirked at the mental picture of Dalamar looking so drenched. He reached for his staff, noticing how Valerie looked at it in wonder. He stepped around the desk, wondering how best to do this. "You realize, it would be easiest to take us there by magic. If you know anything about this sort of spell, you know it can only be done when you stand near to me." Valerie nodded. Raistlin stepped forward and wrapped one arm around her waist, noting that Valerie was nearly his height. He concentrated on the spell, speaking clearly while Valerie listened. They disappeared from the study and reappeared in a well-furnished room higher in the Tower. Valerie's face was almost the shade of a cherry, but she had a silly sort of smile on her face.

She watched Raistlin step back from her and looked about the room. The bed, to her right, had a high canopy done in black lace. To her left was a dresser with a large vanity mirror. There was a window on the far wall from her, looking out onto the city of Palanthas. It lay open, the sun shining brightly off of the white buildings. Valerie looked at Raistlin. "This is amazing! It must be at least twice the size of my room at home!" She walked over to the window to look down on the Shoakin Grove. "That really is one creepy looking group of trees." She turned back around to face Raistlin, who was once again watching her. "Thanks! This is a really great room!"

"Yes, well, many of the unoccupied rooms are like this." Raistlin was unused to such thanks from anyone, especially when it was so blatantly sincere.

"Well, that may be true, but you could have given me some little hole in the wall." He supposed she had a point.

"There are things I need to do, so I suggest you stay here, for the time being." Raistlin didn't wait for a response, and vanished from the room.

"Well, I suppose the first meeting could have gone worse." She looked around the room once more before jumping up onto the bed and settling down to look through her book.

Not the longest chapter in history, but not the shortest either. Please review!!!! I'll write more, I swear!


	2. Laboratory

This chapter was reloaded for aesthetic reasons.

I don't own Dragonlance, though I wish I owned Raistlin. Please review!!! I'll write faster if I get reviews!!!

Semi-Automatic Bunny – I'm glad it's entertaining, and I hope you like the rest of the story as it unfolds!

Sometime around sundown, something brought Valerie a bowl of fruit. She starred at it in openmouthed wonder before taking the food. Much of the fruit seemed quite similar to things from home, so she ate it down and had a glass of wine that had been provided. She stood for long minutes at the window, watching the colors as they spread over the city. She also watched in fascination as two of the moons rose into the sky. Lunitari, the red moon, was just a sliver, while Solinari, the white moon, was half full. She wondered briefly if she would be able to see the black moon, but thought it not the most likely.

When the room was thoroughly dark and there was no chance she could read more of her book, Valerie took her skirt and shirt off and put on a long shirt she found in the closet. She curled up in the large bed, put her glasses on the table beside the bed, and made sure the book was securely settled in her arms, wanting to make absolutely sure no one came and took it while she was sleeping. She was soon asleep, the tower quiet around her.

Raistlin appeared in her room a few hours later. He walked silently over to her bed, looking down at the book in her arms somewhat wryly. She was curled around the book, making it an interesting prospect to get the book away from her. He reached into one of his pouches, and pulled out a few dried rose petals. Sprinkling them over her, he put her into a deeper sleep, and then reached out to take the book. Bright words flared along the cover, and he snatched his hand back as a shock went through it and up his arm. Valerie stirred even in her spell-induced sleep.

"Well, well, well, so it seems only you are supposed to have it then." Raistlin's voice didn't carry very far, and he chose to leave for the night.

--

When Valerie awoke the next morning, she was a little surprised to see the rose petals around her, but happy to find the book still in her possession. She dressed in a long green dress that she found had appeared in her closet. She also found a large purse-like bag that matched the dress. She decided not to ask about the appearance of the clothing, since she wasn't sure it was Raistlin or the book. When she stood in the middle of her room ready to go, the book tucked firmly into her bag with the bag strapped to her shoulder, she thought about how she was going to find her way to the study when words appeared in the air before her. She spoke them aloud, making sure to think of the study in the Tower, and a moment later was standing in the familiar room. Raistlin sat at his desk, writing on a piece of parchment. He looked up when she appeared, not seemingly surprised by her entrance.

"'Morning." She smiled and came over to the desk. He shrugged at her and went back to his writing. "Ahm." He looked back up at Valerie in irritation. "I was just wondering, what am I supposed to call you? Do I call you Master Raistlin, Master Majere, Mr. Raistlin, what?"

Raistlin sighed. "What would you prefer?"

"I would prefer just Raistlin."

He sighed again. "Fine. I would rather be left alone at the moment. I'm working on copying a particular spell, and it takes a great deal of concentration." He returned to writing again, hoping she'd take the hint and leave.

She didn't. "Can I go up into the laboratory?"

Raistlin looked up in very clear annoyance. "Yes, just go away."

Valerie raised her hands in apology. "No problem, I'm going." She thought about leaving the room, and once again a spell appeared before her to speak.

Raistlin watched her disappear from the study. He went back to his copying; only he'd been distracted now and was having trouble getting back to it. For some reason, the woman really seemed to annoy him, while at the same time making him want to sit and actually talk with her. She didn't act like anyone else he'd ever met, and to top it all off, she was fairly pretty. He did not need this distraction in his life, any more than he needed any woman taking up residence in his Tower. He tried again to copy the spell, but gave up when he almost copied a line twice. He stood up, deciding that he wasn't going to get anywhere with his work if he didn't ask Valerie a few questions that were eating at him.

--

Valerie was looking into one of the cages in the lab when Raistlin appeared. He walked forward quickly and pulled her away before her nose was bitten off her face, much to her happiness.

"Yikes! What is that thing?" She was tilting her head to look at it, as if that would make it more recognizable.

"Something I got from another dimension." He watched her in amusement while she kept tilting her head first one way and then another. "That won't help, you realize."

She glanced up at him with a quick smile. "I know. But it's something I can't help but do. Basic human nature, you know?" She looked back at the thing in the cage. "Weren't you busy?" She seemed amused by his sudden appearance, which annoyed him further.

"Perhaps I should have let him have your nose." Raistlin muttered.

Valerie straitened, looking indignant. "That would have been very rude though." She turned to look around the rest of the lab. "So why are you away from your work anyway?"

Raistlin watched her as she moved about the lab. "I was wondering. You said that we are characters from books you've read? What sort of books?"

Valerie looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Well, fiction. Actually it was a series of books. They all take place on Krynn and if you read them correctly, they go in chronological order." She ran her fingers over the table in the room. "The first book I read was called Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It was about a group of people who were meeting after being five years apart."

Raistlin nodded. "At the start of the War of the Lance."

"Right. So I followed the adventures of these people for three books, and then immediately began looking around for other books about them. There were a few series, not all of them about the companions. Then I found the Legends series," she smiled slightly, "it was about you and Caramon." She looked at him directly now. "I need to ask about what has been happening here. I don't know that I ended up in the actual dimension I read about. The way I think the universe is made up, is that there are an infinite number of possibilities out there. So I don't know if what I read in the Legends series, and then the book Dragons of Summer Flame actually happened."

Raistlin stared at her for a minute before replying. "There are a number of dragons that have recently taken up residence around Ansalon." He smirked. "They fancy themselves overlords, much to the indignation of the Gods. Takhsis is especially angry, since she was the one who brought them here."

"Right, okay, did the Chaos War take place?"

"Yes, and the Gods fought with us and Chaos was locked back into the Chaos Gem. Since I was willing to help, I was allowed to remain on Krynn, without any decrease in power." He looked around the Laboratory. "However, it is expected that I not get any ideas about becoming a God. Apparently that would be frowned upon."

Valerie smiled at him. "I am glad to hear that. I was so unhappy when you died." She blushed and looked away from him toward where the portal lay covered by a curtain.

"Indeed?" He walked around the table to keep an eye on her as she walked over to the portal.

"Well, you have always been my favorite character." She glanced back at him for his reaction.

"Why?" Raistlin had not really been expecting this.

Her eyes widened a bit. "Well, let's see now." She turned away to avoid looking at him. "You are very intelligent, and powerful, and a few other things. I mean, I don't know, you're just, cool." Valerie waved her hands around in circles. "Does it really matter?" She turned back to him.

He didn't look too convinced. "Right. And it has nothing to do with my brother being goggle eyed over Tika."

Valerie's eyes narrowed. "No. He's not even close to what I like. He's all, big and muscley. Eww." She looked at him like he was nuts.

Raistlin walked over to his bookshelf. "And why should I believe that? It's not as if there is any proof." He pulled a book off at random and opened it. He was quite sure she was lying, trying, unsuccessfully to get in his good graces. "It doesn't matter, in any case."

"Now wait just one damn minute!" She stalked over and grabbed the book from him. He glared at her and she glared right back at him. Suddenly a book appeared between them. Valerie grabbed it before it fell onto the floor (dropping the other book in her hands in the process) and stood looking at it in disbelief. It was a black and white composition book, and had Valerie's name written on the front, with the words Human Relations.

"What is that?" It didn't look like any other book he had ever seen.

Valerie smiled. "This is the proof that I most definitely like you more than your bonehead brother. I took this class in school on my home, where one day," she opened the book and began looking through the pages, "we had to give the physical and mental characteristics of what we wanted in a mate. We all had to share afterward, and when it came to be my turn, everyone looked at me like I was nuts until someone said that I 'really must have thought about this a lot.' Aha!" She held the book out to him. "This is what I wrote."

Raistlin took the book from her. The handwriting was slightly cramped, but quite legible. The heading said 'What I want in the opposite sex:' and was divided into Physical and Personality. The physical characteristics were listed as: Silver or unique colored eyes, pale, little taller, thin, sleekly muscular, soft voice, graceful, long fingers, and soft lips. The personality was listed as: arrogant (around others), intelligent, good sense of taste, cold-blooded when necessary, gentle, honorable, charismatic, genteel, has masseuse skills, good conversationalist, sense of rhythm, ambitious, sarcastic. Raistlin stood looking at the list in the book for a few moments before looking up at Valerie. She had a look of positive superiority on her face, which he had to fix. "Sense of rhythm?" Valerie turned bright red and snatched the book back from him.

"Yes, well, a girl can have her priorities, right?" She turned away from him and once more went over toward the portal. "But it does prove that your brother is not now nor has ever been my type."

Raistlin, watching her not look toward him as best she could, couldn't help but enjoy making her blush. Since she seemed to end up doing it around him with amazing frequency, he might as well take some pleasure in her, however slight, discomfort. "And did I actually read that you would want someone who _is_ sarcastic? Rather unusual personality trait to desire."

Now she did turn to look at him. "No, I added the sarcastic in there because I thought it was the list for what I don't want in a guy." She said this with a perfectly strait face and smiled slightly. Raistlin caught the sarcasm present that most would have missed, since it was so subtle. Valerie noticed this when he raised an eyebrow at her. "I come from a family of sarcastic people. My dad is the master at it, but most of the humor used in our house all comes from sarcasm." Valerie suddenly walked up close to Raistlin, stopping just a few inches from touching him. He tensed, ready to do nearly anything to her if she tried to assault, or heaven forbid, hug him, as she looked like she might do. Instead, however, she just looked up close at his eyes, tilting her head to the side as she had done with the creature in the cage.

"Yes? What is it?" Raistlin couldn't keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Do you have any idea how few up close pictures there are of you? I'm just looking at your eyes, which are really pretty, actually, not to mention really cool. My friend Kandy would flip if she saw them!" The idea didn't seem to distress her much, based on the smile on her face.

Raistlin closed said eyes and shook his head in exasperation. "You may be one of the most confusing women - no people - I have ever met in my life." When he looked at her again she had a sheepish smile on her face and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"Congratulations, you've just come to the same conclusion as almost everyone else who knows me or has ever known me." She turned back away and went to put her composition book on the table.

"You say you wrote that in school, how long ago was that?" He wanted to read more of the book, to get a bit of insight into the world she claimed to have come from.

"Well, admittedly it was a few years ago, during my senior year of high school." She ran her hand along the outside of the book, a sudden look of sadness on her face. It was gone quickly enough as she moved to another part of the laboratory.

"Ah. And does the man in you life match much of this list?" He asked this carefully, watching for her reaction.

She didn't turn to look at him as she gazed at another of the creatures in the lab, this one with a dozen eyes along its body. "There is no man. I haven't dated, and I haven't any interest in any man I've met yet in college or work.

Raistlin starred at her incredulously. "None? Most girls your age are either married or close to that. And how can you not have been interested in any man you've met? I don't mean to offend, but that does sound somewhat unnatural."

Valerie reached out and petted the creature along its back as well as she could through the bars, a thoughtful look on her face. Raistlin was amazed that the creature hadn't bitten her finger off, and was more surprised to hear what sounded much like purring coming from it as she answered. "No one ever matched my standards, no one much liked me anyway, and I spent the majority of my free time day dreaming. So, no time for the males around me."

"Daydreaming about what?" Raistlin walked slowly over to where she stood, keeping an eye on the cage as he went.

"About people and places in my books. About you." She moved her hand and scratched under the things neck, which it seemed to enjoy as it arched its neck up further for her to reach it a bit better.

"It doesn't usually act like that. Most of the time it tries to bite off the finger of the person stupid enough to move their hand in close enough." Raistlin listened to the creature purr more before Valerie stopped petting it to turn and look at him.

"Well, maybe I'm just really good with animals." She smiled slightly and walked over to before the portal and pulled to cord to reveal the portal to her. The surface was blank, the dragons silent as the rest of the laboratory. Valerie looked closely at the portal, bringing her face to within inches of its surface.

Raistlin walked up quickly and pulled her back from the portal just as the form of a woman filled it. She was darkly beautiful, but looked more than happy to disembowel anyone who got within reach of her nails. Raistlin firmly pulled the cord and watched as the curtain fell into place, hiding Takhsis from view. Raistlin turned to glare at Valerie. "Don't _ever_ go near that again!"

Valerie cringed under his glare for the first time since she had arrived. "I didn't know that would happen. And besides, since you said I could come up here, I didn't think it would be too dangerous."

Raistlin's grip on her arm tightened without his noticing it. "This is a mages laboratory. All such places are dangerous. If you are in here again, then you are to not touch anything." Raistlin kept his voice just above a whisper, but it was laced with venom. With that, he let go of Valerie and disappeared from the lab, leaving Valerie there to rub her arm where he had grabbed her.

"Well sure, take all the fun out of my visit up here." Valerie mumbled to herself before wanting to return to her room. As before, the words for the spell she needed appeared before her, and she too left the room.

After they had both left, a voice filled the room from the portal. "So, that's the little magic child the book found. I should tell my son about this." Laughter followed the statement, dark and cold as ice.


	3. Palin

Valerie didn't come out of her room again until the next day. She spent all the time looking through her book, seeing if she could find the spell that had brought her to Krynn. So far, she had had no luck. She only left her room when one of the tower's guardians came and asked her to come to the study. She promptly hid her book (she had found that she didn't need to have it with her to use the spells within its pages) and made her way to the study. She wore a dark blue long sleeved dress and had her hair tied back into a braid.

In the study, Raistlin sat at his desk, his hood pulled up to hide his face, and Caramon was there as well in one of the chairs before the desk. The difference this time from the first day she had arrived was that the third man present was not Dalamar, but a young man wearing white robes. He looked surprised by her appearance and stood immediately to get a better look at her.

Valerie smiled widely at him. "Let me guess, you would be Palin, Caramon's son and Raistlin's nephew." He nodded at her, looking closely at her dress, since it was a cotton polyester blend from her world (she had found that if she wanted something, the book provided either a spell for her to summon the item, or just made the item appear on its own). "What, nice stitch work? Or is Usha just not thrilling you like usual?"

Palin turned a bright red and looked immediately away from the dress to her face. "I've just never seen a dress of that material before." He answered stiffly.

Valerie laughed lightly. "Yes, I know. I'm just teasing." She walked over to stand before the desk. "Did you want to see me because your nephew showed up?"

Before Raistlin could answer, Caramon spoke up. "Isn't it a bit warm to be wearing a long sleeved dress? It is the middle of summer after all, and even though the tower gets cold, I don't think it gets _that_cold, does it?"

Valerie stiffened just slightly. "You'd be surprised how light this material can be."

"Oh." Caramon shrugged while Palin took his seat again.

Raistlin looked at Valerie shrewdly for a few moments before finally speaking. "Palin has come here to ask about this book you have."

"Right." Valerie turned to look at Palin. "Well? What would you like to know?"

Palin cleared his throat. "Well, where was it you said you found it?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Well, I came into work for the day and it was sitting inconspicuously in one of the totes from another library." Palin blinked a few times in obvious confusion. Valerie sighed. "Alright, here's the thing. In my world, we can get first jobs almost anywhere. They don't pay very much most of the time, but that doesn't always matter. I got a job at a local library. I do all the little odds and ends in the library, most importantly putting books back onto the shelves so that other people can take them out."

"Only you reshelf the books? They must work you like a slave!" Palin looked a bit appalled at the idea.

Valerie laughed it off. "No, no. My library is very small, smaller than this study even. We only get a few patrons, mostly small children and really old people."

"Small children read in your world?" Caramon looked quite impressed.

"Well, not so many as you'd think. A lot of the time parents will read to their kids and the kids look at the pictures in the books. It's long and complicated; we really shouldn't get into it just now. Suffice it to say that the book was just lying there by itself and I wanted to see what it was about. I read a page out loud, and then I was here." She shook her head slightly. "I have no doubt that I freaked out everyone there." All three men looked at her oddly at that statement, making her laugh again. "Sorry, can't help but use slang from my world." She looked at Raistlin. "So, is that all? I was sort of busy reading my book still. And I certainly don't want to keep anyone from anything of importance."

"How can you understand what you're reading? Who taught you the language of magic?" Palin wasn't done with his questions yet, it seemed.

"Well, no one taught me the language of magic." Valerie folded her arms across her chest. "Actually, I shouldn't be able to understand what I'm reading, but I can. Every word of it, or at least the gist of it with some stuff." She got a sly smile on her face as she said that. "That's how I was able to drop Dalamar in a lake." She looked side to side quickly, "He isn't nearby, right?"

Caramon sighed. "No, he left before you showed up."

Valerie laughed softly. "Still steamed about the unexpected bath?" She tried to stop smirking, but failed utterly.

"In any case," Palin interrupted her thoughts, "what you're saying is that you have a magic book that allows you to cast spells without study and without any lessons on how to cast the spells?" He didn't seem to believe it. "What about fatigue?"

Valerie blinked at him a few times. "Hm. Well, I never thought of that. I don't seem to get tired after casting any spells." She pursed her lips. "As for the book, I don't know why the hell I can read and cast spells." She was really getting tired of the repeated questions. Phrasing a question differently didn't mean you weren't asking the same question as everyone else.

"Where is the book now?" Raistlin was hoping to get her to slip up while she was distracted.

"I hid it so that I don't have to worry about it being stolen." Well, she did say something about the book without thinking about it. Which she realized after the words were out of her mouth. "Hey!" She glared at Raistlin indignantly. "Stop trying to take my book! Don't think I don't know you were the one who snuck into my room late at night." She wagged a finger at him, much to Palin's and Caramon's horror. "And sneaking into a lady's room while she's dead to the world is such bad behavior."

Palin and Caramon looked at Raistlin in worry, waiting for him to vaporize Valerie for speaking to him in such a manner. They were, then, quite shocked when they distinctly heard him start to laugh. The laugh, of course, quickly changed to a cough. Caramon started to get up, but Raistlin irritably motioned for him to sit back down. Taking his blood stained cloth from a pocket, he held it up to his mouth (at least they all assumed so, since the cough was somewhat muffled under the hood).

Valerie was looking at Raistlin in obvious worry. When a line of magic words appeared before her, she hardly looked at them as she spoke them. When she had finished, a steaming cup appeared before Raistlin, filled with his tea, by the smell of it. Not being much able to talk (or breathe much by the sound of it), Raistlin didn't even bother questioning the cup, but grabbed it and brought it to his mouth to drink. The cough immediately began to fade, and after a few more sips he was breathing much more steadily.

Valerie wiped her hand across her forehead. "Thank goodness. I didn't think you'd ever breath again. The books really don't do justice to your cough." Raistlin's hood tilted up at her and she was sure he was glaring at her. "What? I realize you hate pity, but I'm not even allowed to worry? Come on, be realistic!" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back at him.

Of course, Palin and Caramon both sat very still, looking from one of them to another. They wouldn't at all be surprised now to see Raistlin cast a spell, but they didn't really want it to be at one of them. Finally, Raistlin spoke, turning his head just slightly in Palin's direction. "Do you have any more questions for her, nephew?" His voice rasped slightly more than usual (well he _was_ coughing).

Palin jumped slightly. "Ah, I think I'm good for now." He suddenly really wanted to leave. "I think I can come back another time. Father, will you be coming with me?" He stressed the last few words while he stood up quickly. Caramon, taking the hint, also stood and promptly tapped his amulet while Palin vanished from the room as well. Valerie raised her eyebrow at Raistlin.

"Was it something we said?" She smiled at him slightly.

Raistlin sighed. "I'm fairly certain it was the glaring. Not many people are willing to glare at me."

"Well, good thing you have me then, right?" Her smile got wider, and Raistlin snorted. He wasn't sure if he was amused by her or annoyed by her. "Oh come on. Doesn't it get boring with _everyone_ afraid of you?" Raistlin silently conceded to her that point. "So is that the only reason I was called here? A curious nephew?"

"Of course not." Raistlin smirked beneath the hood. "I told one of the Tower guardians to search your room for your book."

"What!" Valerie's eyes widened in horror and she vanished after quickly reading the spell presented to her. Raistlin stood and followed after.

Back in Valerie's room, there was a guardian just as Raistlin had said. Valerie quickly jumped forward to her bed as Raistlin materialized in the room. She quickly pulled part of the bed frame away and pulled her book from the hiding space, holding it to her chest and glaring at the guardian.

"How inventive." Valerie whirled around to turn her glare on Raistlin.

"Apparently I need to be inventive with you around." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Raistlin walked forward to stand near her, waving the guardian away. "You know I won't give up trying to get the book, of course." Valerie looked at him wryly before nodding, one half of her mouth curving in a smile.

When Raistlin continued to stand and stare at her, she began to blush. "What? You're not thinking of interesting and painful tortures are you?"

Raistlin shook himself mentally. "Maybe. It might work, after all." With that said, he disappeared from the room, leaving a nervous Valerie clutching her book and wondering how the weather was in Solace right now.

Raistlin didn't return to the study, but went to his own room. Sitting on a table by the fireplace was the composition book Valerie had apparently forgotten in the laboratory. He hadn't managed to read much of it yet. The first few pages were rather boring, talking about the families of the people in her class. Raistlin sat down, leaning his Staff against the chair, and picked the book up, opening it to where he had last left off. If the book didn't have information about her world, maybe it had something about the woman herself that he could use.


	4. Hey Astinus

This chapter was reloaded for aesthetic reasons.

Disclaimer: I still don't own any bit of Dragonlance or Raistlin, no matter how much I wish I did. Though Valerie is still me…er…mine…heeheehee. And please review!!!!

Late that night, Valerie was failing miserably at getting to sleep. While it was true she had some common sense enough to be afraid of Raistlin to some extent, she couldn't help but like him. Then when she had made him laugh earlier, she had felt an absolute thrill of happiness. She knew there were few, if any people, who could get such a reaction from him. Then the incident with the guardian made her feel foolish. Not that she didn't still like him. She knew it was just the way he was.

Realizing that sleep was not coming for some time, she got up from bed and left her room (book safely in hand), reappearing in the study. She began scanning the books on the shelves for something interesting to read. That, or something very boring; anything that would help her sleep.

"How much do you know about my childhood?" Raistlin's voice made her jump in the air and clutch at her chest.

"Do you have to sneak up on people?!" Valerie turned to glare at him, then blinked a few times in confusion. Raistlin's hood was down and he was looking at her…differently. He was serious, but not threatening.

"What do you know about my childhood?" He repeated the question quietly and calmly.

"I know most of it?" Valerie smiled at him slightly. "Okay, so there was another book that came out not long ago, called the Soulforge. It followed your life from when you were six to just after the Test." She still smiled, but was waiting for a negative reaction. "Why do you ask?"

Raistlin held up her composition book. Valerie's eyes opened wide and moved from the book back to him. "I read this. You're not…like most people, are you?" Valerie looked down at the floor while she shook her head.

"Always the oddball." Her voice was the one with a bitter tone in it now. She slowly shook her head again. "I've never fit in, not really. Everyone else around me always seemed to be healthier, to say nothing of nicer and more open with others. I know I scared some of my peers. The others, they just never came close enough to be scared." She let out a short laugh. Raistlin had walked over silently while she was talking, so he was only about a foot from her when she looked up again. She smiled sadly at him. "So, on a scale of ten, how much of a freak do I rate on your weird-o-meter?"

Raistlin sighed, something he had taken to doing since she arrived. "I would likely say that you were a ten." Valerie nodded. "Not that I really care." Valerie had just enough time to look surprised as he dropped the composition book before he stepped closer and kissed her, one hand holding the side of her face, while the other wrapped around her waist, keeping her from retreating.

Not that she would. Valerie was more than happy to kiss him back. She dimly felt herself let go of her magic book, and sort of heard it hit the floor, but she was a bit busy to care about that. Surrounded by the warmth from his body, feeling the velvet robes beneath her hands, she could probably have died happy right then.

It was a fairly brief kiss. And while Raistlin pulled away from it, he kept his arm around her waist. He was a little surprised at himself; he hadn't actually intended to kiss her. Then when she had looked at him so sadly, and so sure of how he was likely to react, he had found himself there. At least he could say she didn't look sad anymore, more like dazed. Happy, but dazed.

"That was nice." Her head slightly tilted to the side as she smiled. "I could do that again."

Raistlin found himself smiling down at her. From what he had read in her book, she wasn't as dissimilar from him as he might have thought. The largest difference was that she had not had the magic to act as her friend. It was little wonder she was so thrilled to use it now. It was also less surprising now why she had latched onto him as her favorite 'character'.

A sudden noise from the door made them step apart. Valerie quickly bent to pick up her book, making sure to hide her face (and its _so_ regular blush) from the door as it opened. Raistlin, having himself under control again already, turned to face the door. Dalamar (not a big surprise) walked into the study with a book in hand. He stopped when he looked up and saw Raistlin, and then Valerie, present in the room.

"My apologies, Shalafi." Dalamar was pointedly ignoring Valerie, who was trying not to smile too widely. "I wasn't aware that anyone was still awake." Dalamar made to turn and leave, but Raistlin's voice stopped him.

"There is no need to apologize. We were just leaving." Raistlin turned to Valerie and nodded slightly before vanishing from the room.

Valerie, for her part, smiled and waved at Dalamar as he glared at her. "Oh come on, you can't stay mad forever, can you?"

"I can for the remainder of your life, however short a time that is." Dalamar responded with a slight sneer in his voice. Valerie stuck her tongue out at him, and then called up the spell to let her leave the study.

When she appeared in her room, she was somewhat surprised to find Raistlin waiting there, seated comfortably before the fire. Pleasantly surprised, by the smile that lit up her face. She walked over and sat in the chair opposite his, placing the book on her lap. "So, what brings you to my room this late at night?" She had some thoughts, but thought it best not to voice them at that moment.

"About what happened in the study…" Raistlin actually looked somewhat uncomfortable.

Valerie thought it was cute. "Which, me turning to jelly or Dalamar showing up and ruining the moment. You know, I could always have some frogs show up in his bed." She batted her eyelashes, looking as innocent as possible.

Raistlin laughed slightly. "I don't think that's necessary." Valerie shrugged. "I wanted to ask you something." Valerie tilted her head to the side. "What do you see when you look at me?"

Valerie was taken aback for a moment. "Isn't that what most people ask you?" Raistlin sighed. "Sorry." She closed her eyes a moment to gather her thoughts. "I see, a very handsome man. Powerful, most certainly. Intelligent. I don't see someone who is like everyone else, which for me is a good thing. I don't really like everyone else. I don't know what else to say. I can't really put into words what I _feel_ when I look at you."

Raistlin looked somewhat surprised, but after a moment he nodded. "If you know things that have happened, things that have been said, then you should know what I told my brother once, about my being able, or unable, to…care about someone…"

"Yes, that you told him you couldn't love anyone since you'd done too many terrible things and blah, blah, blah. Personally, I think that's a load of crap." Raistlin could only stare at her. "Well, let me ask you this. Do you at least like me?" Raistlin nodded slowly. "Okay then. That's a start. I'm not really asking for more right now. If I love you completely and you don't hate me, I can always work on you, right? And I'll be happy with that."

Raistlin was silent for another moment. "You…love me? You've only known me a few days."

Valerie blushed, and then laughed. "Not so. Through the books I've read, I've known you for years. How do you think I got through my teens without inflicting serious harm on myself or others?" Valerie laughed some more, delighted.

Raistlin did remember reading something in her composition book along those lines. "Maybe."

Valerie's mouth twisted wryly. "Maybe nothing. I know what I'm talking about here. Trust me!" She said the last part with a wide smile on her face.

Raistlin shook his head slightly. "Those are some of the most dangerous words in existence." He stood up from the chair, his staff in hand.

Valerie rose as well. "Yeah, I know. It's why I said them, of course."

"I should go. We both need some rest tonight." Raistlin smiled wryly. "Goodnight, Lady."

"'Night honey!" Before Raistlin disappeared, Valerie stepped forward quickly and kissed him lightly on the lips. After he had gone, Valerie, still smiling uncontrollably, got undressed and leapt into her bed, the book wrapped in her arms. She fell asleep quickly, dreaming of soft golden lips.

--

Raistlin did not get to sleep quite as quickly that night. He lay in his bed, thinking about his conversation with Valerie. She wasn't asking much of him. There were no pleas to 'change his ways', no demands that he even care about her, just that he not hate her. She was actually happy just the way things were. Everyone else had always wanted something about him to be different; his brother and friends wanted him to be 'nicer', less sarcastic, more like they were. Crysania had wanted him to turn away from the darkness, perhaps even give up his magic. If she had accepted him only as he was, he might have come to truly care for her. Maybe.

But Valerie…she _preferred_ him the way he was. She liked him dark, sarcastic, and apparently as a very powerful archmagus. Not that his power seemed to instill any sort of respect or fear in her, based on her behavior toward him. Still, he found himself rather liking the unusual behavior she exhibited toward him. He also enjoyed the way she looked at him. There was always complete delight when she saw him, as if every time was the first. And though she showed worry when he had coughed, there was still no pity in her eyes.

Raistlin turned onto his side. _Could_ he care about her? She seemed to think so. It could be enough. Certainly there was no one previously in his life who was like her. Raistlin sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe.

--

When Raistlin arrived in the study the next day, Valerie was already there waiting. She had on a loose pair of black pants and a grey shirt, with a matching grey bag to carry her book. She stood up and smiled immediately when he appeared, which he had a feeling meant some sort of trouble.

"I wanna go and see Astinus. Pleeeeaaaaase?" She sort of _wiggled_ back and forth. "Maybe he knows something about my book. Or maybe I can freak him out. Or both!" She certainly seemed to enjoy that idea.

Raistlin closed his eyes and let his head slump forward. He should have seen this coming. She had already gotten to annoy Dalamar, had 'freaked' his brother _and_ nephew, who else would be next on her list but Astinus? He looked back up at her and tried to keep his lips from twitching too much as she wiggled again. "Very well. It might certainly be…_interesting_."

She immediately bounced up and down. "Yay! This could be fun." She bit her bottom lip, her dark eyes sparkling. "So, will I go by myself?"

She probably already knew the answer. "Of course not. I wouldn't want anyone coming along and stealing you." He replied dryly. He walked forward and grabbed her about the waist before she could call up a spell from her book. She automatically wrapped one arm around his neck as he spoke the words of magic to transport them to the Great Library.

Raistlin decided it was best to take them directly to Astinus, rather than frightening the acolytes. Or giving Valerie the temptation of frightening the acolytes. Of course, as soon as they had materialized, Valerie began looking all around her. Raistlin stepped back from her and pointed to behind her where Astinus sat, writing out the history of Krynn. Valerie turned around eagerly, and walked over to the desk to see Astinus up close.

When her shadow fell over the page on which he was writing, Astinus looked up in clear irritation. His gaze met the smiling face of Valerie, then moved to the amused face of Raistlin, then back again. The irritation slowly faded from his gaze and he motioned for them to sit before the desk. "Have we met?" This question was, or course, addressed to Valerie.

"Nope." Was her immediate reply. "But I think it's great fun that we get to." It was unlikely her smile could get wider.

"Why do you ask, Deathless One?" Raistlin didn't entirely like the tone in Astinus' voice when he had asked.

"It's…a feeling I have. One I've never had before." He actually looked uncertain.

Everyone was silent for a minute. Then, Valerie spoke up. "Well, now that we've gotten that little oddity out of the way, could you look at my book, without touching it, and tell me if you recognize it all?" Valerie held up said book.

Astinus looked at it closely. "I did not write it. I don't believe I have ever seen it either." Astinus obviously would like to have gotten a closer look at it as everyone else did, which Valerie saw. She promptly put the book back down in her lap.

"Okay then, since you can't help with that little tidbit, how about something else?" Astinus inclined his head to her. "You keep track of everyone and everything that is going on, right? So, are you able to keep track of me and what I'm doing?"

"Last night you kissed Raistlin." Astinus said dryly. "Or perhaps I should say that he kissed you, and you responded positively." Both Raistlin and Valerie blushed at his words. "What next? Time is passing while we sit here chatting."

It took Raistlin a moment to find his voice. "Do you know where she is from?"

Astinus shook his head. "I only know what she has done since she arrived here on Krynn. Unlike the other inhabitants of our world, I know nothing of what she knows."

Valerie sighed. "So you'd have no clue how I could get back?"

Astinus' lips twitched (both Raistlin and Valerie were worried about him for a moment, his lips had never _twitched_). "If I told you, it would be meddling in the world's affairs."

Valerie stood up from her chair quickly. "What! Oh come on! That is such a lame ass excuse, and you know it!"

Astinus spread his hands. "What can I tell you? This is the way I am, in order to record history accurately."

Valerie made a rude gesture at him. "Fine then." She huffed, looked to the side, then suddenly smiled. "Hey Astinus, does that mean that you wouldn't do anything to me if I…I don't know…pulled a prank on you?" She did that odd little wiggle thing again, which was beginning to distract Raistlin every time he saw it.

The look on Astinus' face darkened. "You wouldn't dare."

Raistlin laughed. "Of course she would. She _did_ drop Dalamar the Dark into a lake." Raistlin laughed again. That whole incident was forever amusing him.

Astinus looked horrified. Valerie pointed at him and laughed with Raistlin. "Look! I can horrify the great Astinus!" She continued in a sing-song voice. "I am so great, I am so great!"

It was at about this time that Raistlin decided that she had tortured the librarian long enough, to say nothing of the fact that he was having issues breathing while he laughed. So while she was still singing about her own greatness, he once again grabbed her about the waist and vanished from the library. Astinus took a deep breath once they were gone. Anyone looking at him would swear he was just about ready to have a heart attack. "Thank all the Gods they're gone." He muttered to himself as he picked up his pen to continue writing.

When Raistlin and Valerie reappeared in the Tower study, Valerie was somewhat surprised. She had been in the middle of her victory song, and hadn't heard Raistlin cast the spell to bring them back. She promptly twisted around in his arms and pouted at him. "Ahh, I was having so much fun! Spoilsp-"

Raistlin kissed her. The pout had been the final temptation, so he couldn't resist. When he finally pulled back from her, mostly for breathing purposes, she wasn't pouting anymore. She had the same dazed smile on her face as the first time he'd kissed her, only her eyes were somewhat more glazed over. He found himself smiling at that one.

Her eyes gained some clarity on seeing that. "You know, I was really having fun." She smirked. "But I suppose I can forgive you this once."

Raistlin snorted. "This once, of course." He kissed her once more briefly before stepping away. "I'm sorry to say, there's work I need to attend to. If you'll excuse me." He smirked, then vanished from the room.

"Okay, you're excused." Valerie waved at the empty space where Raistlin had been, then sat down on the floor where she was, a half smile on her face.

-

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Author's note: About the _wiggled_ thing…in the anime Full-Metal Alchemist, there is one episode (Home of the waiting family) where the young female, Winry, wiggles side to side when she finds Edward's watch and wants to take it apart. Think of it like that, if you know the anime.


	5. Lovers

Disclaimer: I still don't own any bit of Dragonlance or Raistlin, no matter how much I wish I did. Also, as a warning, this is a _smut_ chapter, so if you don't like, please feel free to read something else. Otherwise, enjoy and **_please_** review!!!

---

Raistlin's work, which Valerie decided not to ask much about, kept him busy the rest of the week. Valerie contented herself with reading through her book. After she had gotten through the book once, she was sure she must have missed something. On none of the pages could she remember any spell that seemed like it could allow her to travel to her world, let alone any other world. So, she went back to the beginning to start over more slowly. She did try to bother Raistlin some evenings, if only to steal a kiss or tell him a joke she thought he'd find funny. Dalamar avoided Valerie like the plague, keeping to the areas of the Tower where his students resided.

At the end of the week, Raistlin was exhausted from running verbal circles with his brother and nephew. He very much appreciated and enjoyed the occasional appearances from Valerie. He did actually try not to be short with her, but even when he was, she just smiled at him. As he got ready for bed that night, he though about the fact that he had been having fewer coughing fits. He had been meaning to ask Valerie if it was perhaps due to some unknown spell in her book that she had been using without telling him, but he kept forgetting whenever he saw her.

Sighing as he slipped into bed, he decided that he would ask her tomorrow. He and the others had gotten nowhere with their discussions, and were all beginning to get on each other's nerves. They had decided to call it quits until after the Festival of the Eye in a few days. He closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.

Valerie, in her room, was just curling up in her bed as well. She had heard some of the arguing from the three men (she was very bad and had been listening in outside the study door), and she guessed that Raistlin was not in a mood for company. Besides that, she had been reading her book so closely that she had developed a slight headache once the sun had set. She figured that she wasn't such good company right now either. She closed her eyes, and fell asleep just as quickly as Raistlin.

Both began dreaming later that night at the same time. It was fragmented, merely fast, random flashes of images. But each image was filled with sensations. On her bed, Valerie began to twist and turn in her sleep, her book falling to the floor in her movements. Valerie turned onto her back, and spoke words that caused her to vanish from the room.

Valerie awoke suddenly when she found herself sitting up rather than lying down. She blinked groggily and tried to look around her, though she couldn't see anything in the dark. As she sat back, to try and get her bearings, she distinctly heard what sounded like a growl from below her. This woke her up more fully and she realized that she was not only sitting, she was straddling someone. She could guess whom by the warmth radiating from his body.

"You're trying to kill me, I can tell." Raistlin's voice was as quiet as usual, but there was an edge to it she hadn't heard before.

"I'm guessing that means you don't know how I got here?" She realized she should probably move from where she was, but for the life of her she couldn't bring herself to do it. So she opted for trying to sit still.

"I was sure you knew. You are the one on top of me." Even sitting still Valerie was making Raistlin lose his control. He knew he had been dreaming about her. Now waking up to her _sitting in his lap_ was almost more than he could handle. When she had sat backwards he had had to bite his lip to keep from groaning out loud, and he had still made a noise.

Valerie concentrated on breathing while she assessed the predicament she was in. She was wearing nothing but a long nightshirt, and Raistlin seemed to be wearing less. With just a blanket between them, she was having her own issues keeping up with what he was saying. She moved just slightly, without really thinking about it, and this time Raistlin couldn't stop a gasp from escaping his lips. Valerie realized then just what sort of condition he was in, and all rational thought just sort of left at that point.

Moving carefully, she leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips. That changed quickly when his arms wrapped around her, pinning her to him while he kissed her back with a fair amount of force. When she moved her hips, pushing them harder against him, a deeper growl from the one before found its way from him as he rolled them both over so that he pinned her to the bed. A rational voice in Raistlin's head told him he should probably stop, but that voice was quickly being drowned out.

Valerie pulled her shirt off at the same time Raistlin stopped to move the blanket out from between them. She gasped when skin met skin, her back arching up against him as he kissed a line down her throat. Raistlin thought for a moment he saw sparks about her skin where he touched her, but the thought left when her back arched again.

Raistlin pushed forward suddenly, forgetting until after that Valerie was still a virgin. He went perfectly still when her nails scratched against his back and a small sound came from her that was more a squeak than a whimper. He didn't know what to do for a moment, until her hips moved against his again. He moved slowly, watching her face as best he could in the darkness, and listened carefully. Soon though, he was lost again, his mouth skimming over her skin. When they both went crashing over the edge, he missed the sparks of light leaping from his fingers to her skin.

They lay there for some moments trying to breath. Finally Raistlin picked his head up from where it lay on her shoulder. "Shirak." The staff, leaning against the bedpost, lit up the room with a soft light. Raistlin, still gasping slightly, looked down at Valerie. Her skin was flushed, her lips somewhat swollen from his kisses. She looked up at him drowsily, her eyes half-lidded.

She reached up to move some of his hair back behind his ear. "Are you angry?"

"No." He was a bit surprised by the question. "No." He repeated, moving to lie down beside her. He covered them both with the blanket, pulling her close to him, her heartbeat slowly returning to normal like his. "Dulak." As the darkness descended on the room again, he closed his eyes and was soon asleep, Valerie having already fallen asleep moments before him.

--

Raistlin awoke slowly. He was confused for a moment by a strong pulse against his arm, but when he opened his eyes and saw Valerie's back pressed against him, he remembered. His arm lay under her neck, which is why he felt her pulse so strongly. He was somewhat surprised he hadn't just dreamt last night. No matter what she said, he had difficulty envisioning any woman sharing his bed with him. Still, there she was, a small smile on her face even in sleep.

As he was watching her, she suddenly yawned and stretched. Feeling herself naked, next to someone who was _also_ naked, she turned around in the bed quickly. Seeing it was Raistlin (she had a sudden horrible, irrational vision of seeing Dalamar there), she relaxed considerably. "Hi!" She smiled widely at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Just hi?"

"What would you like? 'Okay honey, ready for another tumble?'" She laughed slightly.

Raistlin sighed. "I'm a good bit older than you. If I hadn't died, I'd look the same age as my brother."

"So? Does that mean we can only play once a week?" She smiled at him eagerly.

"I was being serious."

"So am I." Her smile got wider. "How many girls can say they got the most powerful wizard in the world in bed with them? I have major bragging rights now." She batted her eyes at him sweetly.

He returned her innocent look with slightly pursed lips. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me and screw me?" She suggested. He let his head fall on her shoulder. "Oh come on. It wasn't _that_ bad, was it?" She paused for a moment. "It wasn't, right?" Raistlin's shoulders shook slightly. She could feel him trying not to laugh out loud. "That is not a good answer to that question!"

Raistlin lifted his head, trying to control his laughing. "Do people actually ask that?" Now he did laugh out loud.

"In my society, yes, there are those who ask that of their partners. I mean, if it's bad, they don't always go back to them." She sounded a little indignant about his continued laughter.

"How shall I judge?" Raistlin's laughter had finally subsided, though a genuine smile kept pulling at his lips. "I'm not exactly as…_experienced_…in this area as Caramon or Dalamar." He shook his head at her. "Besides, as the one who broke your virginity, shouldn't I ask if you thought it was bad?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "You know, that's actually sort of strange. I know there was pain for a moment…but then, it was as if it was…pushed to the side." She looked at him closely. "You don't have any naughty sleight-of-hand tricks, do you?"

Raistlin laughed again. "Somehow I don't remember that chapter in my book." Valerie laughed a bit as well.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "In any case, for a first time, I thought it was quite nice."

"Good." He got a sly glint in his eyes. "One of us, at least, should have enjoyed themselves." He rolled away just before she moved her arm to smack him. He grabbed his robe and slipped into it as he turned to smile at her. She was sitting up in the bed, eyes narrowed while trying not to smile, the blanket pulled up to cover her chest. One hand was reaching for a pillow, and he grabbed his staff and ducked just in time to keep from getting hit in the head. He was still laughing when he vanished from the room.

Valerie lay back down on the bed. If someone woke her up right now, showing her this was only a dream, she would likely kill them. While she was somewhat tired, and a bit sore, she was positively filled with warmth. She was sure that most people who knew Raistlin would say he was using her, but she couldn't bring herself to care right then. Giggling some more, Valerie rolled over in the bed and decided she would get up later. She was quickly asleep again, Raistlin's scent and lingering warmth wrapped around her.

--

Raistlin spent the better part of an hour thinking about Valerie and the previous night. After a while, though, he shook his head sharply and turned his attention to his studies. He found it surprisingly easy to concentrate on his work, once he told himself it wasn't likely she was leaving the Tower in the near future. The morning went by swiftly, and Valerie appearing in the study in the late afternoon startled him.

"What's up," Valerie winked at him, "lover?" Her smile was a tad wider than usual.

He looked back at her in amusement. "The Festival of the Eye is in two days. I'm assuming you'd enjoy attending?"

Valerie's eyes widened and she bounced up and down. "Yes, yes, yes!!!! I wanna go!" She stopped bouncing. "Will we go here or in Solace?" If she kept smiling the way she was, she'd likely hurt her face.

Raistlin sighed, again. "I was hoping for Solace. It's…quieter there."

"You mean there are fewer people to get annoyed at and feel inclined to incinerate, right?" Her smile turned positively wicked.

Raistlin tilted his head to the side slightly. "You mean that, or drop them in the nearest large body of water?" Valerie giggled.

"You just love bringing that up!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "I couldn't help it, I just always wanted to do that!" She wiggled side to side.

Raistlin stared at her for a moment. "Why do you do that?"

"Because I love seeing your reaction?" She wiggled some more.

Another moment went by. "I…need…to…study…more!" Raistlin said this through clenched teeth, his fingers twitching.

She finally stopped. "Oh, alright." She winked at him again as spell words appeared before her. "I suppose I can wait to wiggle at you until the night of the Festival." She then spoke the words and vanished from the room.

Raistlin sat breathing for a few minutes, trying to get control over himself. He knew she was teasing him. He knew she was taking delight in being _able_ to tease him. That didn't mean he didn't need to study like he said. She probably knew that too, which was why she left without complaint, no doubt. That didn't make it easier to calm his heart rate.

Since she had interrupted him, he realized he was quite hungry. He hadn't eaten yet that day, and he had been…energetic…of late. He summoned up his usual fare of fruit, bread, and wine. As he ate his food, he thought about his impending trip to Solace. He hadn't actually intended to go the Festival, anywhere, but he supposed it could be tolerable with Valerie. She seemed to make the intolerable tolerable. Or as tolerable as he could ever find anything. He chuckled to himself quietly as he finished his meal and returned to his studies.

--

Raistlin studied well into the night. When he began to have difficulty keeping his eyes open he thought it best to go to bed. He lit his staff as he stood, to transport himself to his room. Valerie had been absent for the rest of the day, and by this time Raistlin assumed that she had gone to bed. When he appeared in his room, however, he found her there, curled into _his_ bed. He stood there looking at her for long moments, before the light from his staff woke her up. She smiled at him drowsily.

"Sorry." She leaned up on her elbow. "I tried to sleep I my room, honest. But that wasn't working very well. I fell right to sleep when I got here though." She smiled a little wider.

Raistlin walked toward the bed. "If I can't sleep with you here, I _will_ literally kick you out of the bed."

"Okay!" Valerie scooted over a little more, while Raistlin extinguished his staff. He slid in under the covers and pulled Valerie close to him when she hesitated. "What, robes? No nice, warm skin?" There was a teasing note in her voice.

"I need to sleep." Raistlin stressed the last word. "Besides, I usually sleep in robes. Last night I had disrobed while asleep and dreaming." He settled more comfortably in the bed.

"Yes, I figured. Still, I couldn't resist." She yawned and laid her head down, was soon fast asleep again.

Raistlin wasn't much used to sharing his personal space. He didn't much _like_ sharing his personal space. So it was an immense surprise to him when he fell fast asleep in only minutes.


	6. Tika, Valerie Valerie, Tika

Some who have been reading may notice some chapters have been removed and then put back on. I had some…aesthetic issues with how it looked on the site…mostly when it came to time spaces. Sorry if I caused any confusion!

I have a big thank you to Semi-Automatic Bunny, Andrea 'Andi', and The Rainmaster, for their wonderful reviews! I hope you continue to like the story!

Disclaimer: I still don't own any bit of Dragonlance or Raistlin, no matter how much I wish I did. And please remember to review!

When it came time to go to Solace for the Festival, Valerie couldn't keep from smiling. She had finished reading through her book a second time in the few days, but still had no luck in finding a between worlds transport spell. While she found it frustrating, the excitement of going to the Festival pushed those feelings aside (and Raistlin helped as well).

The two of them were discreet about their relationship. That was Raistlin's choice, since he was in no mood to deal with foolish people who had grudges against him kidnapping her. Valerie didn't object, mostly since she had been expecting this sort of reaction (though she figured he would want discretion for other reasons). She had, however, moved into his room in the Tower. She was more comfortable sleeping there, and on experiment, Raistlin was more comfortable with her there as well. Sleeping was also all they had been doing in his bed, which had at first disappointed Valerie, but she got over it quickly (what with being able to sleep next to him every night).

Now it was time to go to the Festival. Valerie was bouncing around Raistlin in her excitement, which she knew was annoying him, but she couldn't stop. On her third circuit around him, Raistlin grabbed Valerie by the back of her shirt and pulled her to a stop. Standing there in a pair of 'jeans' (some of the strangest leggings he had ever seen) and a long, cotton shirt, she smiled at him innocently.

"It would be smart of you to stop doing that." He said that slowly, trying to control his temper.

"I can't stop! I'm all excited and we haven't gone yet. I want to see the vallenwood trees in Solace, and the Inn of the Last Home, and all the houses up in the trees, and-." Raistlin's hand clamped over her mouth, though it was still possible to hear her trying to talk through that obstacle.

"I am taking us there now, so please stop talking." She mumbled a bit more. "Now!" Silence ensued, and Raistlin cautiously removed his hand. Valerie made to open her mouth and he took the opportunity while she was drawing breath to pull her close and transport them to the Inn of the Last Home.

When they appeared, she let her breath out in a rush. Her head was promptly moving around the main room of the Inn, her eyes taking in every detail. There was no one else in the room at the moment, but Raistlin was certain one of his relatives was sure to show any moment. As such, he moved near to the fire and sat down at a table.

Sure enough, Tika (bits of grey showing in her long curls) came into the room from the back of the kitchen. Hearing her, Valerie spun around and practically leapt over to the bar. Tika, not having noticed them yet, let out a shriek when she saw the younger woman. Valerie just smiled widely and waved at her. Raistlin made sure he _wasn't_ looking at the two women or he was afraid he would start laughing. Knowing Tika's pension for using cookware on people who angered her, he didn't feel like trying his luck.

"Oh my Goddess, you're Tika!" Raistlin winced at the volume. Tika was still looking at Valerie as if she had leapt out of the abyss (and Valerie's very loud first words did _not_ help matters). "Hi, I'm Valerie."

"Okay." Tika's gaze moved to Raistlin. She blinked a few times. "Oh." Her gaze moved back to the still smiling Valerie. "So you're the girl from another world who moved into the Tower in Palanthas?"

Valerie looked surprised and turned toward Raistlin, who still found the ceiling interesting. "'Girl from another world who moved into the Tower in Palanthas'? What a long ass title." Raistlin's lips twitched. She turned back to Tika. "Yup, that's me, in the flesh. You can call me Valerie though." She smiled again.

"Okay. Maybe I should go and get Caramon." Tika moved quickly toward the other door in the room, presumably leading deeper into the Inn. She never took her eyes off of Valerie until she reached the doorway, then she was gone in a flash.

Valerie and Raistlin both started laughing as soon as Tika was well out of sight. Valerie sat on one of the bar stools and wiped her eyes. "That was immense fun, wasn't it? Aren't you glad you brought me?"

Raistlin shook his head, still smiling slightly. "Only so long as Tika doesn't brain me before we leave." Valerie had the good grace to look a little sheepish.

When Tika came back, Caramon following behind, Valerie was off the bar stool and looking out a window (she had in fact climbed on top of one of the tables and Raistlin was trying unsuccessfully to get her to get down). The couple stopped dead in their tracks at the odd sight, Tika's mouth dropping open. Caramon cleared his throat, which made the archmage and his odd guest turn to look at them. Valerie waved cheerfully at them (while still staying on the table).

"Can I get either of you anything?" Tika was edging back toward the kitchen.

"Hot water would be nice." Raistlin replied, after sitting at the table Valerie sprawled on top of.

"I'm good, thanks!" Valerie readjusted her position on the table to sit cross-legged. Caramon came over to the table and sat down near his brother.

"Wouldn't you like to sit in a chair?" Caramon seemed to have come to the conclusion that Valerie was completely insane, based on the look he gave her.

Valerie smirked. "No, I'm good as I am. Unless it bothers you?" Before he could actually reply, she slid over the table and landed in Raistlin's lap. Tika happened to be coming back into the room, and promptly dropped the cup and the pot of hot water. Caramon made a sort of choking sound, and his eyes seemed to be intent upon leaving his face. Valerie smiled at Raistlin, and Raistlin, waiting to a count of five, promptly pushed her off his lap and onto the floor.

"Ow!" Valerie rubbed her backside and pouted up at the mage. Tika was still stuck to the floor (figuratively, of course), and Caramon looked from his brother to Valerie, trying to decide if he should help her. She fixed the problem for him by standing up and dusting herself off (not that there was any dust on the floor). Valerie stuck her tongue out at Raistlin. "Meany." With as much dignity as she had, she took the other chair next to Raistlin.

There was dead silence for a minute while Valerie made herself comfortable. Finally it was Raistlin who spoke up, looking wryly at the spreading puddle of water on the floor. "Tika, it looks as though the water has gotten cold, could you get some more?"

Tika jumped and looked down. "Of course! I'll just go get that." Saying such, she spun on her heel and was back into the kitchen.

"Is this normal?" Caramon looked ready to follow his wife.

"Whatever would make you think otherwise?" Valerie batted her eyelashes at him.

Raistlin nodded slowly. "Of course, I usually lock her up in the dungeon torture chamber after, but you don't have one of those that I know of." Raistlin, of course, kept a strait face. Valerie tried to do that (boy did she try!) but she failed miserably and started laughing. Raistlin sighed in mock suffering. "As you can see, the repeated sessions have left her completely deranged." Valerie laughed harder when Caramon's mouth opened and closed several times without making any intelligible sounds.

Finally Raistlin couldn't keep a strait face any longer and laughed softly. "Relax, my brother. She does not usually jump into my lap like that and I do not torture her." He looked over at the still laughing Valerie. "Though, admittedly, I can't say for sure that she's not actually deranged."

Valerie sucked in her breath and looked indignant, then smacked Raistlin lightly on the shoulder. "Be nice! I don't say things like that about you. At least not in earshot."

"How- Why- I don't get it." Caramon felt more out of his depth than he ever had before.

Valerie was more than happy to explain. "How we do it, is, we look at who we are dealing with. Based on that we readjust our behavior to best disorient and confuse. Why we do it," here she smiled as sweetly as possible, "is because we can. And we get bored. And it's entertaining to see how everyone reacts." Tika had by this time come back and put the hot water on the table before Raistlin, keeping a distance from Valerie. "So far, you two have been the most fun to mess with." Valerie stopped and thought for a moment. "Well, maybe second to Astinus. I really loved freaking him out." Valerie laughed some more.

During her 'explanation' Raistlin's lips had steadily twitched their way to a full smile. The smile seemed to bother his brother and sister-in-law even more than all of Valerie's behavior. Which, upon noting that, he immediately started chuckling. Tika sat down on the other side of her husband, wondering if the addition of this strange person in his life had somehow driven him completely insane. It was either that, or he was actually happy, and she had trouble believing that of the bitter, cynical mage.

Raistlin finally got control of himself. "I would tell you she didn't really mean that, but I think that would be a lie."

Caramon looked at him seriously. "You mean she actually - what did she say – freaked out Astinus?"

Raistlin and Valerie nodded, though Valerie's nod was somewhat more enthusiastic. "I kind of threatened to play a prank on him." Tika and Caramon both looked horrified. Valerie crossed her hands over her chest. "Now don't go giving me that look. It's not as if I freaked him out so much that he stopped writing for the whole day. I mean, I'm not nearly as good as you Caramon." She smiled as Caramon blushed at the memory of giving the historian a book that would never be written. Her smile softened a moment later. "Oh don't worry, I don't think I would prank him. It is tempting, just to see his reaction, but I have a bit too much respect for librarians."

That seemed to relax the couple somewhat. Tika, not having been exposed to Valerie before now, relaxed a bit more than her husband. "So, you've never been to a Festival of the Eye before, right?"

Valerie shook her head quickly side to side. "I've read about it some and it sounds really fun!"

Tika smiled warmly. "Yes, I've always thought it was fun. Solace may not have quite as large a celebration as Palanthas, or even Haven, but we do get many people from all over Ansalon." She seemed very proud of this fact.

Valerie nodded knowingly. "That's not too surprising, since the Inn is so famous, and there is that really popular tomb with all the knights and," Valerie paused and frowned, "and Tanis. Man, I forgot that he died before the Chaos War. That really sucks! It would have been cool to meet him." Caramon and Tika both looked at her in confusion. "What, you mean he isn't dead?" They shook their heads as Raistlin turned to look at her. Valerie smacked herself on the head. "Of course! I keep forgetting that this universe isn't the same as the one I read about. So he didn't die at the High Clerist's Tower?"

Caramon and Tika both shook their heads. Raistlin answered her question more directly. "He was badly injured, but he was treated in time." He tilted his head to the side. "He had died, in the books you read?"

Valerie nodded sadly. "Yes, he died being all heroic. Like Sturm. And it sucked just as much." Valerie smiled a moment later. "But since he isn't dead, it doesn't suck!" (We all love simple logic.)

Caramon and Tika both smiled slightly (with insane people, it _is_ best to humor them). Raistlin shook his head slightly (he was used to her insanity, for the most part). Valerie looked at them all and rolled her eyes while she shrugged (so what if they thought she was crazy?).

Tika cleared her throat and stood up after a minute of silence. "Well, I should get back to work in the kitchen for tonight. Caramon," she turned to look at her husband, "shouldn't you show them the rooms they'll be staying in?" She didn't wait for an answer, but left the room right afterward.

"Right!" Caramon stood up quickly. "You two might want to rest up before tonight, since the Festival lasts well into the night." Valerie pouted, making Caramon continue quickly. "It would be best not to wander around town all by yourself, you never know what might happen." He sounded reasonable, but he looked nervous (no doubt he had visions of Valerie transporting people all over the place).

Raistlin also stood up. "He's right." He looked her square in the eyes. "You should not wander off by yourself. There will be plenty to see and explore later tonight." His tone brooked no argument, so, while she pouted and gave her best puppy dog eyes, she followed after the brothers as they went into the back of the Inn.

Tika, who was listening from just inside the kitchen, heard Valerie plainly. "I promise I wouldn't use too many spells, and I'd stay within sight of the Inn! _Please?_"


	7. The Festival

I don't own Dragonlance, though I wish I owned Raistlin. Please review!!!

I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this next chapter up; I've been away from the computer for…well…a while. Hope you like the latest chapter! Thanks to everyone for the reviews!!!

-

The Festival was just as Tika said it would be. There were many entertainers from all over Ansalon, as well as many vendors selling all manner of goods. Valerie had dressed for the occasion in a long, midnight blue dress with an empire waist and long bell sleeves. She had, of course, hidden her book. The first part of the evening had her dragging Raistlin all over the place, looking at the wares for sale. She also spent a good deal of time pointing at the odd foods being sold, as well as all the drinks (hadn't any of these people ever heard of fruit juice?). After the first hour and a half of all this, Raistlin (no matter how much he liked her) was beginning to think of all the very nice, large, annihilating spells he knew. Caramon and Tika, of course, were no help whatsoever. As soon as Valerie had been allowed outside of the Inn (she had tried to sneak out three times, before she was threatened with being tied up to a chair), she had rushed off, Raistlin firmly in tow, to see everything, and Caramon and Tika had disappeared off on their own.

It was while Raistlin was busy fondly watching an illusionist that the problem arose. Valerie disappeared.

Raistlin had only taken his eyes off of her for a few moments. She, while he was preoccupied, had spied a group of kender walking around and had wandered off to meet them (Raistlin had kept her away from all kender so far). She was intensely curious about the species, and since she didn't carry anything of value (she had avoided all jewelry for just this reason), she saw no harm in stepping away for just a _moment._

Valerie wandered after the kender, forgetting about Raistlin (and how angry he'd be) as she walked farther from all the noise of the Festival. She was quite surprised when she turned a corner and the kender had apparently disappeared. As she looked all around her (she didn't think kender liked to hide) she realized that not only was there no kender about, there was no one else about either. It was also fairly dark where she was standing, with only the light from two of the moons to let her see.

"Well, seeing as there isn't much of anything interesting over here, I'll just go back and find Raistlin." While she realized that talking to herself wasn't the sanest thing to do, it felt better hearing a voice she knew.

"Nothing interesting? I find that somewhat insulting." Valerie turned around abruptly and saw a man standing behind her.

"And who might you be?" Valerie had a touch of nervousness in her voice.

"Can't you guess?" The stranger smiled slightly.

Valerie took a close look at him. "Let's see. Young man, black robes, round face, funny looking orb…oh dear." Valerie took a step back from the man. "I…ah…don't suppose you're Nuitari?"

Nuitari bowed slightly. "How nice to be recognized." His smile grew wider. "Where ever are you going? We've only just met."

Valerie was still backing away slowly. "Oh, I was just going to get back to the Festival!" She laughed nervously. "I mean, after all, I haven't seen all the nice sights yet." She stopped a moment later, when she bumped into someone behind her. Whipping around quickly while jumping back from the person, she saw another young man, this one wearing white robes and carrying a tall staff. A small "Eep!" escaped from Valerie.

The white robed man looked past her to Nuitari. "You shouldn't be scaring her like this."

"You'd be Solinari, right?" Valerie looked slightly less bothered by him.

"Yes, child, I am Solinari. And that," he pointed off to her left, "is our cousin Lunitari." Valerie looked where he pointed and saw a lovely young woman in red robes with black hair, streaked with white. Valerie waved at Lunitari weakly, who smiled back at her.

Valerie looked at the three Gods for a moment before edging backwards from them again. "So, what brings you three out here? Shouldn't you be off talking to some mages? Maybe the Conclave?" She sounded very hopeful.

Nuitari laughed. "We _are_ here to speak to a mage. You." Valerie looked at him and went white.

"Me? I'm not a mage! I've never been trained, taught, tested or anything! Maybe you made a mistake?"

Lunitari walked forward. "We wish to talk to the owner of the book. That is you." Valerie turned a bit paler. "Please don't be alarmed."

"Our purpose is to tell you _why_ you are here." Solinari sounded very gentle and kind, so Valerie calmed down a little.

She was also intrigued about what he said. "You know why I'm here?" Her voice hardened slightly. "Did you do this?" Solinari looked a bit sheepish, Lunitari nodded, and Nuitari frowned at her. "Oh great. So, why am I here?"

Lunitari sat down in a chair that appeared out of thin air, as did her cousins. Looking behind her, Valerie saw a similar chair and sat on it gingerly, just in case Nuitari had made it and also felt like making it disappear. "We created the book many centuries ago."

Valerie blinked. "All three of you?"

Solinari nodded. "It was something of an experiment. We came together and created an artifact of immense magical energy. It was Nuitari's idea in the first place."

"I wanted to see if we could do it." Nuitari's smile was wicked. "Besides which, the implications of such an artifact were, to say the least, interesting."

"Riggghhhhttt." Valerie was beginning to feel a wee bit nervous about him. "So how did the book end up on my home?"

"Well," Solinari spoke up again, "it wasn't a book when we made it. It was actually a crystal." Valerie looked surprised at this bit of news. "As for how it ended up on your world, we sent the crystal out to find whoever would be its master. Apparently, it didn't want anyone on Krynn."

"Oh." Valerie felt kind of special at that idea. "So why does it look like a book now?"

"We assume it chose the form that would best suit who is found." Lunitari inclined her hear to Valerie.

Valerie decided that made enough sense. She then clapped her hands together. "So, any ideas how I get home?"

Nuitari watched her through half-lidded eyes. "We know how to send you home. It takes some work, and has the risk of attracting certain dangerous individuals, but it will get you home. If that's where you wish to go."

"Well of course I want to go home, why-" Valerie stopped when she thought about Raistlin. "Right. Can't I just come and go from Krynn?"

The three Gods of magic thought about it. "We aren't sure. When we made the book, we never expected it to travel to another world." Lunitari spoke for the three of them.

"Certainly not." Nuitari muttered.

Valerie stood up. "I should think about it, and talk to Raistlin." She watched as the Gods stood up as well. "That's okay, right? You aren't going to do something weird to me, are you?"

Nuitari looked as if he wanted to, which is why Valerie had asked. Solinari glared at his darker cousin though. "No, it's not a problem. Take as long as you need."

"Just be sure that you're careful of that book. It holds magic from all three orders in it, and any number of people would do anything to get you to do as they wished with it." Lunitari stared at her very seriously.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that." Valerie let out another nervous laugh. "I could blow them away, or Raistlin could."

"Or Raistlin could be the one to use you for his own ends." Solinari added darkly.

Valerie stuck her tongue out at him (she felt it was relatively safe since he was the God of _good_ magic). "I trust him, so you'll just have to trust me." She went a few feet toward the music and lights of the Festival, then stopped and turned back to the Gods. "Maybe I should bring him to hear your explanation. Knowing me, I'd say it all too quickly and screw it up. Do you mind waiting?" Lunitari smiled kindly and shook her head. "Great, I'll be right back." She turned around and dashed off.

Valerie found Raistlin fairy quickly…or more correctly, he found her. She was scanning the crowd when she was grabbed by a very warm, thin, strong hand and whipped around, to look right into very angry gold eyes. She cringed slightly but smiled and waved at him with her other arm (the one not being held in a vise-like grip).

"Where have you been?" Raistlin spoke through clenched teeth. He wasn't sure if he should beat her upside the head, take her back to the Tower and lock her in the dungeon, or hug her. He settled on the idea of not letting go of her arm for the rest of the night.

"It's not my fault, really!" He didn't look much like he believed her. "Look, I went to follow some kender to meet them," his eyes narrowed dangerously, so she hurried on, "b-but they disappeared when I thought I had caught up with them. After that, I realized I was alone and pretty far from everyone else. So I was just about to come back to the Festival, since it was kind of creepy out there all alone, when I found out I wasn't alone." That didn't seem to reassure him. "It was…well…ah…N-Nuitari." That got a reaction.

"You met Nuitari? You're sure it was him?"

Valerie huffed at him tone. "Yes, I'm sure. Especially when Solinari _and_ Lunitari showed up as well." Raistlin's grip had loosened somewhat while she spoke. Noticing this, she slipped her arm out enough to grasp his hand in hers. "They explained the book to me. Where it came from." Definite interest there now. "I don't really want to try and explain it to you, so I asked them to wait while I went and got you."

Raistlin blanched. "You asked them to _wait_?" Raistlin may be powerful and arrogant, but even he doesn't like the idea of making the Gods of Magic wait.

"Yes and they are waiting very patiently right now so we should go and talk to them." While she spoke Valerie had begun pulling the very dumbfounded archmage after her. He quickly shook himself out of his stupor and followed along quickly.

The three cousins were waiting patiently (well, Nuitari was tapping his foot on the ground, but he _was_ still there). Raistlin (Valerie still holding onto his hand) bowed to them immediately. Lunitari looked happy to see him, as did Nuitari to some extent. Solinari…he was Solinari. Liked magic users fine, but didn't really like Raistlin all that much. Valerie, for her part, waved at them and smiled.

"See, I knew it wouldn't take long to find him. Now, please tell him what you told me?" After that, she stepped back a little and sort of hid partially behind Raistlin (while still holding his hand). Raistlin stood silently while the cousins explained about the book. Watching him, Valerie wasn't much surprised to see his eyes a light with curiosity. She knew he'd find the whole thing interesting as hell, which was why she hadn't wanted to mess up the explanation.

When they were done talking, Raistlin had a thoughtful expression on his face. "I take it that you wouldn't like me…_influencing_ Valerie's use of the book?"

Solinari looked displeased. "You influence her enough, from what we can tell."

That made Valerie let go of Raistlin and step around in front of him. "Now what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I'm sure you could figure it out." Nuitari had a slight sneer in his voice. Valerie glared back at him.

Raistlin quickly grabbed her and shoved her behind him. "I'll be sure to be careful what I ask her to do from now on." He was still fighting with her slightly as she tried to get back around in front of him. "I'm sure you have plenty to do this night, so we won't keep you any longer." He bowed to the Gods again (as well as he could with an arm behind his back trying to keep a grip on Valerie) and made a beeline for the Inn, just barely visible through the trees, with Valerie firmly in tow.

"Oh come on, you can let go of me now." Valerie had stopped fighting so hard after a few moments.

"Are you sure? You don't feel the overwhelming urge to go and try to insult another God?" Raistlin did not let go of her arm, but he did slow his pace a bit.

Valerie sighed. "No, I won't go and insult any Gods." She looked at him as they walked. "Was it really that bad?"

Raistlin stopped. "No, but I would rather it not get that bad." He turned to look at her. "Tell me you realize what this means?"

Valerie blinked a few times. "I'm really super powerful so you have another reason to really like me?" She smiled sweetly.

Raistlin stared at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Actually, that's not far off." He continued walking to the Inn. "It also means that anyone who finds out is going to want to steal you and your book to further any number of plots." They had finally reached the front door of the Inn, which, of course, had been left unlocked (too many kender at the Festival, so an _unlocked_ door was less of an invitation than a _locked_ one). They went inside the dark main room of the Inn, Raistlin causing the cold hearth to burst into bright flames with a word. He sat down at one of the tables near the fire, pulling Valerie down into the seat next to him.

Valerie tilted her head at him. "Something wrong?"

"Will you be going home?" His voice was expressionless as he asked.

Valerie looked down at her hand in his. "I don't know." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm very happy here. I love being on Krynn, being with you. I do miss my family though." She looked back up into his eyes. "I'm really hoping there's a way for me to come and go from both worlds. But if that's not possible, I don't know." Her eyes dropped again. "Would you want me to stay?"

Raistlin pulled her over to sit on his lap, surprised again by how light she actually was. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder while she placed her hands over his. "I would not want you to leave." He smiled slightly. "I can assure you, however, that the reasons _are_ purely selfish."

Valerie laughed softly. "Like having a powerful chick so eager to jump into bed with ya, huh?" Raistlin laughed as well. "Speaking of which, we do have a nice bit of private time right now, you know?"

"Is that all you think about?" Even saying this, his arms tightened around her.

"Well, I _am_ sitting on you again." They both laughed as Raistlin stood, making sure Valerie didn't end up on the floor, and started for the back of the Inn. It was best to talk about inter-dimensional travel another time.


End file.
